Oneida City Council discusses flood issues at Tuesday meeting

ONEIDA >> Only one of three public hearings drew comment from residents during the Oneida City Common Council meeting Tuesday night.

The hearings held regarding miscellaneous utility billing and comments on the proposed 2014 City of Oneida budget opened and closed without issue; however, a few comments were made in the hearing regarding a proposed change to the city charter making the city chamberlain an appointed position rather than an elected one.

During that public hearing, Oneida resident Joe Magliocca asked why only one charter change was being made, to which city Councilor Brahim Zogby said more changes would be coming down the pipeline based on recommendations by the charter review committee.

Two homeowners have expressed interest in turning their properties over to the city: 210 Liberty St. and 332 Bennett St. City councilors said taxes on both properties are up to date. The city fire marshal has declared the Liberty Street property unhabitable and in need of demolition, said acting Mayor Max Smith. The Bennett Street house has been inspected by the city codes enforcement office and determined to be a safety hazard as well.

City Engineer Jon Rauscher said it would cost about $20,000 for each house to be demolished.

The city council did not take action, but agreed to seek alternative possibilities for both properties, which include seeing if neighboring property owners wish to purchase them.

The Bennett Street property sustained flood damage on June 28, and the Liberty Street property has simply deteriorated over the years and become uninhabitable.

Smith said over the next few years, the council will have to make some “hard choices” when dealing with properties that could potentially be turned over to the city that are safety hazards. Smith said the cost of demolishing houses could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Smith also said the city will take a close look at what properties are being offered to the city and the issues that come along with them - such as whether the lot size conforms to current codes, making it suitable to rebuild or not.

“We don’t want to send the message that Oneida will take all abandoned property,” Smith said.

Rauscher said he would touch base with FEMA to see if there was a program that would reimburse the cost of disposal of the demolition debris for homes being torn down due to flood damage, adding that such a program would help ease the city’s overall costs if houses need to be torn down.

In other actions, the council approved a resolution authorizing miscellaneous utility billing for unpaid water and sewer bills to be added onto the 2014 tax bills.

The council approved a resolution to modify a September agreement with SCRIBA Electric to pay up to $100,000 more to complete remaining repair work at the Wastewater Treatment Plant that was damaged in the June 28 flood.

Rauscher said that in total, about $900,000 in damage was done to the plant by the Oneida Creek flood, and that repair expenses will be reimbursed through FEMA. Rauscher said he is looking into possibly replacing some motors with submersible models, so that the plant can stay running if a flood reoccurs. This would allow the city to run the pumps without extra generators hooked up outside the flood zone.

The council voted to apply for a state Community Development Block Grant and to hire River Street Planning and Development to write the application.

City Planning Director Cassie Rose said the city last received two grants totalling $775,000 in 2010. This time, the city seeks a $400,000 grant to revitalize 12 to 15 homes, she said.

Rose added that the city has a waiting list of about 30 pre-approved homeowners who could benefit from grant money.

At the end of the meeting, Shattuck Street resident Peggy O’Haire asked the acting mayor for a status update on the Kallet Civic Center and why events were not being booked there.

Smith said the Kallet is currently operating without a lease and that while events such as weddings and large birthday parties are not being booked, the facility is still being used by civic groups such as Rotary and the Oneida Chamber of Commerce for community events. Smith further explained that he has a vision for what direction he would like to see the Kallet take in the future, and that the city and Kallet Board of Directors are coming up with a plan to make the facility part of a more “vibrant city center.”

Smith added that typically, the non-profit group managing the Kallet rents the facility from the city for about $1 each year and that the city shoulders more than $30,000 in utility, repairs and other building-related expenses.

O’Haire, who has lived in Oneida for 18 years, said she was satisfied with the acting mayor’s answer and added that she, too, would like to see the facility add to the cultural growth of Oneida and hopes usage of the facility for events will resume sooner rather than later.

After about 45 minutes, the meeting went into a closed-door executive session for the discussion of a personnel issue.

The council also voted to have another open budget discussion meeting for Thursday night, but later changed that to Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers.

>>A correction was made to this story on Nov. 21 at 11:40 a.m.

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Jolene Cleaver is a staff writer at the Oneida Dispatch. Her coverage focuses on crime, government and community events. Reach the author at jcleaver@oneidadispatch.com
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